VAM 102 | Interview with Richard Horvitz, Part 2

Welcome to episode 102 of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast with yours truly, Crispin Freeman!

As always, you can listen to the podcast using the player above, or download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of this blog post. The podcast is also available via the iTunes Store online. Just follow this link to view the podcast in iTunes:

http://www.voiceactingmastery.com/podcast

Welcome to the second part of my interview with my personal voice acting mentor, the amazing Richard Horvitz!

Richard has worked on many famous animated shows including Angry Beavers, Invader Zim and the Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy.

Richard is also a teacher of voice acting and offers both classes and private coaching through his website at RichardHorvitz.com

In the first part of our interview, Richard talked extensively about the importance of playing pretend when it comes to acting. He gave numerous examples of how we sometimes get in our own way when trying to portray a character believably. His examples and exercises were incredibly insightful and practical!

In this episode, Richard shares with us his 5 step process on how to play pretend more fully. Not only are these 5 steps what he uses in his own acting, but they also form the backbone of what he teaches his students as well. Afterwards, Richard shares with us some of the challenges he faced early in his career. It seems that almost every actor has experienced what one could call the “dark night of the soul”. It’s that time in your life where everything seems bleak and hopeless, even though you’re doing your best to pursue a successful career. I’m very grateful to Richard for sharing with us his own struggles and how he overcame them. I think you’ll find his journey very inspiring.

If you are interested in taking class or being coached by Richard, please check out the classes section of Richard’s website!

 

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #102 Here (MP3)

 

VAM 101 | Interview with Richard Horvitz, Part 1

Welcome to episode 101 of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast with yours truly, Crispin Freeman!

As always, you can listen to the podcast using the player above, or download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of this blog post. The podcast is also available via the iTunes Store online. Just follow this link to view the podcast in iTunes:

http://www.voiceactingmastery.com/podcast

Prepare yourself, because you’re in for a real treat!

Welcome to the first part of my interview with my personal voice acting mentor, the amazing Richard Horvitz!

Richard has voiced some of the most iconic characters in animation including Daggett in the Angry Beavers, Zim from Invader Zim and Billy in the Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy.

Not only is Richard an accomplished voice actor, but he’s also an amazing teacher. When I first arrived in Los Angeles back in 2001, I was in desperate need of a competent voice acting coach to get me up to speed in this competitive market. Even though I had extensive theatrical acting experience and had gotten my voice acting start in New York City, moving to LA meant taking my skills to a higher level. I was overwhelmed and a bit intimidated by the world of Hollywood voice acting, and I wasn’t sure how best to gain momentum or achieve success.

Fortunately, I was introduced to Richard, and I immediately recognized how insightful his coaching was. I studied with Richard regularly in the early part of my Los Angeles career and I’m deeply indebted to him for his generosity, his candor and his encouragement. Richard’s coaching was my secret weapon for gaining a solid foothold as a voice actor in LA, and I’m so happy to be able to share his wisdom with you!

Before we get started, I should let you know that Richard’s enthusiasm is infectious and because of that we ended up talking for far longer than I usually do with my interview subjects. That means you’ll be getting some extra long episodes in this series of interview sections. I can’t think of a better way to introduce my new monthly podcast release schedule than to provide my listeners with some bonus content, so I hope you enjoy the extra time as much as I did!

If you are interested in taking class or being coached by Richard, please check out the classes section of Richard’s website!

 

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #101 Here (MP3)

 

New Podcast Schedule Reminder

Greetings faithful podcast listeners!

As I announced in episode 100, I have changed the release schedule of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast.

New episodes of the podcast will be released on a monthly basis instead of a bi-weekly basis.

I just wanted to post this reminder on the blog to anyone who hadn’t had a chance to listen to episode 100 and may be confused by the new release schedule.

Now I know that many of my faithful listeners may be disappointed to hear this, but I have some good news as well! By changing the podcast release schedule to only once a month, it will give me time to focus on some new and interactive ways to reach my listeners. I’m really excited about what’s on the horizon, and I hope you will be too. So don’t worry, the podcast has been very effective so far and I have no plans to stop it. I just want to free up some time to make way for some new developments at Voice Acting Mastery.

To reiterate: I will now be releasing new podcast episodes the third Wednesday of every month. Episode 101 will be available on May 20th so look out for it!

VAM 100 | Voice Acting Mastery Reflections, Advice, and Special Announcements!

Welcome to episode 100 of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast with yours truly, Crispin Freeman!

As always, you can listen to the podcast using the player above, or download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of this blog post. The podcast is also available via the iTunes Store online. Just follow this link to view the podcast in iTunes:

http://www.voiceactingmastery.com/podcast

Well, it’s hard for me to believe, but this is the 100th episode of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast! Little did I know back in July of 2011 that I would find myself almost 4 years later having achieved this milestone. This podcast has covered lots of ground and reached people all over the globe. In fact, as of the release of this episode in April 2015, there have been almost 1 million downloads of the podcast worldwide!

I’d like to express my gratitude to all of you who have spent so much time listening to the podcast. I know many of you have been with me since the very beginning, and I appreciate each and every one of you! And for those of my audience for whom this is their first episode, congratulations! You’ve got 99 other exciting episodes to look forward to! I hope each episode helps you expand your understanding, appreciation and practice of the art of voice acting.

Since this is the 100th episode, I thought it would be appropriate to take some time to reflect on how far the podcast has come, take stock of where things are and then talk a little bit about the exciting new direction that Voice Acting Mastery will be taking in the future! I hope you enjoy the episode!

 

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #100 Here (MP3)

 

VAM 099 | Q & A Session 19 – What You Should Put on a Voice Acting Resume & How to Find the Best Demo Producer

Welcome to episode 99 of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast with yours truly, Crispin Freeman!

As always, you can listen to the podcast using the player above, or download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of this blog post. The podcast is also available via the iTunes Store online. Just follow this link to view the podcast in iTunes:

http://www.voiceactingmastery.com/podcast

In this episode, I continue answering questions from my podcast audience! For those who may not be as familiar with the podcast, in past episodes, I’ve given out a phone number where you can call in and leave me a question about voice acting as a voicemail. From time to time, I’ll pick the most relevant questions I receive and answer them here on the podcast.

For this round of Q & A, I answer questions from Bryson from Houston, TX and Whitney from Gunnison, CO.

Bryson wants to know what he should put on a voice acting resume. Should it be the same as the one he uses for theater, or should it be formatted differently? He’d also like to know how much information he should put on his business card. I explain to him the differences between theatrical resumes and voice acting resumes and explain how to market yourself effectively to casting directors and producers in the world of voice over.

Whitney wants to know how to find the best producer to help her create her demo. She’s done a lot of research on her own, but wants to make sure she’s making the right decision. After all, it can take a lot of time, effort and money to make a professionally competitive demo. I first explain to her how to make sure she knows how to identify good demos from bad ones. Then I share some tips with her about how to get the best recommendations for demo producers.

 

I hope you find the answers to their questions useful in your own voice acting endeavors!

 

If any of my listeners would like to call in with your own thoughts, thank you’s or questions, the number is:

323-696-2655.

Please don’t forget to include your first name and what city in the world you’re calling from. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

Thanks for listening!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #99 Here (MP3)